FAYETTEVILLE — The Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission will use the same advertising agency and the same insurance broker it has used in the past.
The commission will continue to use the Sells Agency to design and produce promotional material showcasing Fayetteville attractions.
Four other Arkansas ad firms bid on the $520,000 annual account. The contract runs for three years.
AT A GLANCE
Ad Agencies
Ad Agencies That Responded To A Request For Proposals By The Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission:
EXIT Marketing — Little Rock
Elkins Design — Bentonville
Lady Luck Creative — Rogers
4209 Creative — Lowell
Sells Agency — Fayetteville and Little Rock
Source: Staff Report
But the Sells Agency’s long history with Fayetteville and its local address helped to tip the scales in its favor.
“To me, if it was a huge savings — they’re all running about the same. And here you have a local company that knows the city and that keeps our sales tax dollars here,” said Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan, who serves on the commission. All five firms proposed charges averaging about $85 to $125 per hour. At $85 per hour, the Sells Agency is on the low end of the scale.
“Obviously, this commission is going to set a tone, that it be a local agency,” said Neal Crawford, a member of the commission. “We’re going to lean on our local economy. It’s very important that our tax dollars stay locally.”
Sells was first selected in 2001 during a request for proposals process. Six years ago, the contract was simply renewed without an invitation for other proposals. In 2007, Sells was selected via the request for proposals process.
Putting the job out to bid is in keeping with a recent commission policy change that says contracts above $5,000 should be bid, a move endorsed by commission members.
“But my challenge is that when this comes back up, we should always RFP it,” Crawford said, referring to the request for proposals process.
“I’m very glad we went through this process, because you don’t know until you look,” Jordan added.
Eason Insurance was selected as the insurance broker for the commission’s $11,900 a year insurance contract. The company is owned by Bob Davis, who serves on the commission. Eason Insurance was the only company to bid on the project.